PLUS

Acts 2:22-23 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”

Acts 2:24 “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

This is the fifth in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration. It slightly deviates from the order of the items as they appear in the book based on this weekend’s celebration of the resurrection of our Saviour:

There was no greater time of despair for the human condition than during the crucifixion of Jesus. The future seemed bleak and hope had all but evaporated. The Saviour had been slain, and the King had been executed. The Bible records the bleak conditions in Acts 2:22-23.

He was dead! Yet, the Bible goes on to provide a quick moment of miraculous recovery in the subsequent verse.

In a few short days and a few brief words, Christ went from dead to alive. He went from crucified to arisen. He loosed the pains of death in the biggest comeback in human history!

Every year, during the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, I watch a video of one of my favorite songs from a couple of my favorite musicians – Daniel Hopkins and Freddy Kearney.

My favorite set of lines are as follows:

His enemy, his ancient foe,
Content the dead was done.
Stood upon the battlefield,
convinced that he had won.
As Satan rose in triumph,
to put away his sword.
From somewhere in the darkness,
came the voice he’d heard before …

I WILL ARISE! I WILL ARISE!
Like the sun at dawn’s first light,
I WILL ARISE!
You can bury me that day,
Seal the tomb and turn away,
But the Power of the grave will be denied.
I WILL ARISE!

Christ is a turn-around master. He is the comeback King! Not just on Calvary, but at every place, and every time, for all who believe. He turns despair into hope and helplessness into transformation. Our Saviour provides the most definitive reason why we must trust in God even when our situation seems hopeless and helpless! It provides the perfect punctuation to ensure that we engrave In God We Trust into our lives!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN OUR SITUATIONS SEEM HOPELESS AND HELPLESS.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

Hebrews 11:32-35a “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again …”

Hebrews 11:35b-38 “… and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

This is the fourth in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration:

There is an interesting transition in Hebrews 11 – a chapter commonly known as the Hall of Fame of Faith. Throughout the chapter, God’s people accomplish great things by faith. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses and his parents, and Rehab all get specific mention for the magnificent and heroic things they were able to do by trusting in God. But it doesn’t stop with them. Starting in verse 32, there are many more who follow in their path. Something interesting happens though in verse 35:

“Women received their dead raised to life again …”

Up to this stage, I am still convinced that I want to be a part of this legacy. The exploits of all the heroes of the faith up to this point are incredible, and the outcomes are encouraging. Yet, in the middle of verse 35, it takes a turn:

“… and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”

Yikes! Maybe such a legacy isn’t as glamorous as I expected.

Importantly, this abrupt transition provides a powerful reminder for all of us – faithfully following God may not work out for us temporarily. Yet, pursuing God’s path for us, regardless of the cost, is always a part of His plan.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN IT COULD BE COSTLY.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

Genesis 16:1-3 “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.”

Genesis 16:15 “And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.”

This is the third in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration:

Abram and Sarai had been promised a child that would carry on an unmatched familial legacy. Yet as they aged, they were concerned that the odds of procreation were growing dim. Thus, they devised a trustless and faithless work-around described in the verses above.

How did it work out for them? They had a child, but it was not part of God’s plan. And their “life hack” has severe ramifications for us today.

As a part of current portfolio, I speak frequently on national security and international affairs topics. I also am a regular commentator on NewsNation and Fox News. And if you looked at the hundreds of interviews I’ve done during the last few years (or the 61 in the last three weeks), you would see a common trend – the majority of them are related to on-going chaos in the Middle East. Most of my media engagements center on nations like Iran and Israel, and groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. And the chaos has a singular root cause – Abram’s and Sarai’s decision to diverge from God’s plan via their own seemingly brilliant work-around.

It didn’t work out well for them and it isn’t working out well for us. It is a great reminder that we are to trust in God even when we think we have a reasonable work-around.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD TRUST GOD EVEN WHEN WE THINK WE HAVE A REASONABLE WORK AROUND.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”

This is the second in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration:

“There is an important truth to consider whenever we are tempted to doubt God – who are we to believe that our perspective is sufficient to trump God’s truths? After all, even the most globally capable among us only benefit from a myopic view of our circumstances. We are stunningly finite while God is supremely infinite. His omniscience, His omnipresence, and His omnipotence make our pride-filled cosmopolitan strivings simply sophomoric. Whenever you are tempted to trust yourself when circumstances seem to supersede your trust in God, fall back on the following:

• “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
• “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

His ways are always higher than our ways and we must never rest on our own understanding! As a result, we are trust in Him even when it doesn’t make any sense.”

Interestingly, just before I assembled this post, I read a small section of a book about luck and timing. While the statistics were interesting, the worldview was depressingly secular. From such a perspective, there was no trust, no hope, no faith, and no belief. The randomness of such stochastic processes offered no meaning and no purpose, especially when results diverge from the cold logic of mathematical probability. Reading those thoughts punctuated the power provided by trusting in God even when the results seem to be going askew.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. Always remember that our perspectives are finite, and His is infinite.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you”

The next eight-part series provides excerpts from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration. The rubber meets the road when we make the concept of trusting in God practical and tangible, giving traction to trust. Beware though, these ideas buck the trends of societal norms and standard practices as we engrave them into our lives.

“In August of 2018 I had just pinned a single star onto each of the shoulders of my uniform. I was now a brigadier general and had just started a new leadership job as the commander of Edwards Air Force Base – a place known as the Center of the Aerospace Testing Universe. During my first full week on the job, a very public attack questioned my character and threatened my future.

An organization that pounces on Christians in the military had their sights set on me. They must have been tracking me all along, and as soon as I became a more public target as a one-star general they launched their attack that included a 22-page letter to the Secretary of Defense suggesting that I should be fired and imprisoned. They pushed articles to the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek that further supported their claims. One of their slogans was: “General Teichert should be doing time behind prison bars, not commanding a Wing wearing a general’s stars.” I have to admit it’s a bit catchy, but not exactly what I was hoping for during week one on the job.

What was my crime? It must have been something egregious for such an attack. In reality, it was rooted in a ministry I had launched five years prior that simply encouraged Christians to pray for our nation and our leaders at lunchtime (PLUS, or prayatlunch.us). How dare I do such a thing?!?!

As I was settling into my new position, it was a bit of shock and awe. After all, I was new in my job and trying to establish my credibility as a servant leader with a focus on our amazing team and our critical mission. That evening, I went home and we had a family conversation about this precarious situation. We prayed about it. And while my flesh wanted to lash out at my attacker, God brought a counter-cultural verse to my mind and my heart – Matthew 5:44.

There may be nothing that runs more counter to the ways of the world than these words from our Saviour! I’ve done my best to put them into practice ever since then. In fact, I go out of my way to pray daily for the leader of the organization that attacked me. I did so earlier today before I typed this section.

How did it work out? First, God gave me a peace about the situation almost immediately. Second, God used the situation to bring national-level attention to my ministry in a way that only He could. That organization had meant it for evil, but God had meant it for good (Genesis 50:20), and the number of viewers to my website in one week eclipsed the previous five years combined. Third, I felt the prayerful love and encouragement of believers around the world who reached out in support. I even enjoyed the superb wingmanship of media personalities, like my friend Todd Starnes at Fox News, who quickly engaged on my behalf. Fourth, the Department of Defense quickly investigated me, determined that I had done nothing wrong, and told me that I could continue with my ministry. Praise God!

There is a bit more to the story. In early 2021, the presidential administration transitioned to one that was hostile to Christians and conservatives in the military. While my career was skyrocketing up to that point and while I had done nothing that had broken any rules, regulations, laws, or policies, the new administration was intent on weeding out faith-filled leaders like me. It was an ideological purge that didn’t make the newspapers because big media was aligned with the administration. As a result, while serving in a position that was already designated for a 2-star general, instead of being promoted I was asked to retire.

It still stings a little bit, but I’m excited to see how God will continue to use that situation for His good. In the meanwhile, I will strive to trust in God even when it is against my flesh or the norms of our prevailing culture.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN IT IS AGAINST OUR FLESH OR THE NORMS OF OUR PREVAILING CULTURE.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link